ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – During Day 3 of the Broncos training camp, Drew Lock looked the part as the team’s potential franchise quarterback.
In 11-on-11 drills, when Denver’s first-team offensive reps took on the second-team defense, Lock saw control over the team’s offense as he completed just after passing.
The level of competition was not the same that Lock would face against a secondary who has Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson, AJ Bouye and Bryce Callahan as a pass that includes Von Miller, Bradley Chubb or Jurrell Casey. But against the defense of the second team, Lock seems as poised, calm and comfortable as you want your quarterback to look against a reserve unit of a team.
In particular, Lock’s decision-making and accuracy were both strong during 11-on-11 work, as he completed passes to a host of players that included Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant. Understandings were rare, as a Josey Jewell pass breakup and missing deep connection with Fant were one of the only mistakes on the day.
Even when Lock came on for the defense of the first team in 7-on-7 work, he still managed to connect with Sutton and Jerry Jeudy.
The second-year player still has plenty of room to grow, but Monday’s practice proved to be his best yet of camp and signaled his potential in Shurmur’s offense.
“I think it’s a testament to all the coaches on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball,” Lock said of the offense’s early success. “The defense got us a little bit that first day, but it’s the same thing – [a] testament to our coaches here. They did not have much time to prepare us, and as you said, for how young we are, [it’s] the first time many of these guys learned an NFL offense. This is a sham crime for the whole crime. It has literally been a culmination of one small baby step at a time. … I think our coaches are doing a good job of keeping us ahead of schedule about these scripts and plays in general. We just have to keep at it and not let it overwhelm us as a young criminal. “
Lock did not turn the ball over Monday, but he was still able to push the ball through the field. He said he will maintain his aggressive mentality, and Head Coach Vic Fangio is on the same page as the young quarterback.
“You always want your quarterback to have the attitude to push the boundaries with of course the caution and knowing in the back of his mind that we do not want to turn the ball around,” Fangio said. “We do not want to have the mentality of not turning the ball over to the point that we also never push the ball into the field. We try to challenge the defense in some tight throws. We need to be able to do that without the ball around “Yes, I want to show him that he does both for us and for his learning experience – what he can fit in and what he can not fit in at different times.”
MAKE THE MOST OF ITS OPPORTUNITY
Jake Butt had perhaps his most productive practice day, as he caught at least four passes through a variety of routes. He showed off his athleticism when he got a deep post, and he also showed his positional versatility as a unique game design helped him open up against the defense of the first team.
“I think Jake is a lot ahead of where he was at the moment last year,” Fangio said. “To sit him down, he feels the best he’s felt in a long, long time. I think he didn ‘t look out of it today, but all the days he’d been there. He had a great offseason. Hopefully we’ll see the real Jake Butt here this season. “
Added lock: “There’s no one in our locker room who does not want to see Jake Butt succeed. [He’s] one of the best teammates we have in this locker room. For him to push through and grind through all the injuries he has. For him to come out – he reported early with us. Right from the start I could tell. He’s not 100 percent back to normal – apparently you can never get back to normal after a knee injury [injury] – but he is as close as possible to having those operations. The man is playing some really good ball. He is super smart and a little more athletic than people give him credit for. “
